Perfect Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes for Breakfast Lovers

Chocolate chip pancakes are basically the best thing you can wake up to on a weekend morning, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. I mean, who doesn’t want pancakes with melty chocolate in every single bite ?​

My kids ask for these pancakes literally every Saturday, and honestly, I don’t blame them. They’re fluffy, sweet, and feel like a special treat even though they’re actually super easy to make. Better than IHOP, if you ask me.

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Why These Chocolate Chip Pancakes Are So Good :

Look, I’m gonna be honest—I’ve tried a LOT of chocolate chip pancake recipes over the years. Some came out flat and dense. Others had the chocolate chips burn on the outside. Disaster. Complete disaster.​

But this recipe? This is the one. These chocolate chip pancakes are thick, fluffy, and the chocolate chips stay perfectly melty without burning. The secret is coating the chips in batter before cooking, which I’ll get to in a minute.​

And another thing—these are sweet enough that you don’t even need syrup. I mean, you CAN add syrup (I usually do), but the chocolate chips add plenty of sweetness on their own.​

Ingredients for Perfect Chocolate Chip Pancakes :

Here’s what you need to make these amazing pancakes:​

All-Purpose Flour – 1½ to 2 cups depending on how many you’re making. I’ve also made these with half whole wheat flour and they’re still great.​

Baking Powder – 2½ teaspoons. This is what makes them fluffy. Use aluminum-free baking powder or you’ll get a weird metallic aftertaste. Trust me on this one.​

Baking Soda – ½ teaspoon. Works with the yogurt to create extra lift.​

Sugar – 1-2 tablespoons. Just enough for a touch of sweetness without making them taste like dessert.​

Salt – ½ teaspoon. Brings out all the flavors.​

Cinnamon – ¼ teaspoon, optional but I always add it. Gives them a warm, cozy flavor.​

Milk – 1¼ cups. Whole milk makes the richest pancakes but any milk works.​

Eggs – 1-2 large eggs. Room temperature is best but I never remember to take them out early.​

Melted Butter – 3-4 tablespoons. For the batter, plus more for cooking.​

Greek Yogurt – ½ cup, optional but highly recommended. The acid reacts with the baking soda and makes them extra fluffy. Plus it adds protein.​

Vanilla Extract – 2 teaspoons. Makes everything smell amazing while cooking.​

Chocolate Chips – ⅓ to 1 cup. Mini chocolate chips work better than regular because they don’t sink to the bottom as much. I buy the big Costco bag and keep it in the freezer.​

How to Make Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes :

This is almost ridiculously easy.​

Step 1: Melt your butter and set it aside to cool slightly while you mix everything else. If it’s too hot it’ll scramble the eggs. Learned that the hard way.​

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center.​

Step 3: In another bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients—eggs, Greek yogurt (if using), milk, and vanilla. Then whisk in the melted butter once it’s cooled a bit.​

Step 4: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently until you can’t see dry flour anymore. The key is—oh wait, I should mention—do NOT overmix. A few lumps are totally fine and actually make fluffier pancakes.​

Step 5: Fold in the chocolate chips. Now here’s the thing… add them to the batter instead of sprinkling them on each pancake as it cooks. This coats the chips in batter and prevents them from burning. Game changer.​

Step 6: Start cooking immediately. As the batter sits, the baking powder loses its potency, so don’t let it hang out for more than a few minutes.​

Step 7: Heat a non-stick griddle or pan over medium heat. Not medium-high. Medium. Test it by flicking a drop of water on it—should sizzle.​

Step 8: Grease your pan with butter or cooking spray. Some non-stick griddles don’t need this, but I do it anyway.​

Step 9: Pour about ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Don’t spread it around—just let it form its own circle.​

Step 10: Cook for about 2-3 minutes until bubbles form on the surface and the bottoms are golden brown. The edges should look set.​

Step 11: Flip carefully and cook for another 1-2 minutes on the other side. Do NOT press down on them with your spatula. That just squishes out all the air and makes them dense.​

Step 12: Keep finished pancakes warm in a 200°F oven while you cook the rest.​

Total time? Maybe 20 minutes from start to finish.​

My Real Tips for Perfect Chocolate Chip Pancakes :

Keep Chocolate Chips Frozen

I store my chocolate chips in the freezer and add them to the batter while they’re still frozen. This helps prevent them from melting too much and making a mess. If yours are at room temp, just stir them into the batter really well to coat them.​

Use Mini Chocolate Chips

Regular chocolate chips tend to sink to the bottom and stick to the bowl. Mini chips distribute way better throughout the batter. You can use regular if that’s what you have, but mini work better.​

Don’t Overmix the Batter

Cannot stress this enough. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour and makes tough, flat pancakes. Mix just until the flour disappears.​

Cool Your Pan If It Gets Too Hot

If your pan gets too hot and the pancakes are browning too fast, run it under cold water to cool it down. Dry it completely, then keep cooking. This has saved me so many times.​

Use Aluminum-Free Baking Powder

Regular baking powder with aluminum can leave a metallic aftertaste, especially when you use 2+ teaspoons like this recipe calls for. Spend the extra dollar on aluminum-free.​

Fresh Leaveners Are Essential

If your baking powder or baking soda are old (like, been in your pantry for over a year), they won’t work as well and your pancakes will be flat. Test your baking powder by dropping a bit in hot water—if it fizzes, you’re good.​

Serving These Chocolate Chip Pancakes :

Honestly, they’re perfect as is. But you can also top them with:​

• Banana slices​
• Extra maple syrup​
• Whipped cream
• Fresh strawberries
• A scoop of ice cream for special occasions​
• More chocolate chips because why not

My 8-year-old eats his with butter, syrup, AND whipped cream. Like, all three at once. I stopped questioning it.​

Make-Ahead and Freezing :

These chocolate chip pancakes freeze incredibly well. Let them cool completely, then stack them with parchment paper between each one and freeze in a ziplock bag for up to 3 months.​

I always make a double batch and freeze half for busy weekday mornings. Just pop them in the toaster or microwave to reheat. They taste just as good as fresh.​

Leftover pancakes (if that’s even a thing in your house) keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.​

Why These Beat Restaurant Pancakes :

Last Sunday we went to IHOP and ordered chocolate chip pancakes. They were fine, but honestly not as good as these homemade ones. Plus we spent like $40 for the family when I could’ve made these at home for maybe $5 worth of ingredients.​

These chocolate chip pancakes are fluffier, have more chocolate chips, and just taste better. My kids said so, and kids don’t lie about pancakes.​

If you try these perfect fluffy chocolate chip pancakes, let me know how they turn out! Seriously, I want to hear if your family loves them as much as mine does. Drop a comment because I’m always curious what people think 🙂

Happy cooking! (and may your chocolate chips never burn) 🥞🍫